Paige M. Henning^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.10, pp. 2957-2983, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.068899 - 29 October 2025

Abstract Cytokinins are ancient hormones present across all kingdoms of life except archaea, although functional biosynthesis pathways have yet to be identified in animalia. Known for their roles in cell division and proliferation, cytokinins are critical to plant life, as they regulate various aspects of vegetative growth, stress response, and reproduction. In this review, we summarize literature from 2020 to 2025 pertaining to the cytokinin functions in plant reproduction. While general aspects of cytokinin’s role in plant reproduction have been addressed, we particularly focus on the role of cytokinin in reproductive systems due to recent work More >

E. M. B. M. Karunathilake^1,#, Thanh Tuan Thai^1,2,3,#, Sheikh Mansoor¹, Anh Tuan Le^3,4, Faheem Shehzad Baloch^1,5, Yong Suk Chung^1,*, Dong-Wook Kim^6,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.7, pp. 2215-2228, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.067439 - 31 July 2025

Abstract Accurate and timely estimation of above-ground biomass is crucial for understanding crop growth dynamics, optimizing agricultural input management, and assessing productivity in sustainable farming practices. However, conventional biomass assessments are destructive and resource-intensive. In contrast, remote sensing techniques, particularly those utilizing low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles, provide a non-destructive approach to collect imagery data on plant canopy features, including spectral reflectance and structural details at any stage of the crop life cycle. This study explores the potential visible-light-derived vegetative indices to improve biomass prediction during the flowering period of buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum). Red, green, and blue (RGB)… More >

Antonela Markulj Kulundžić^1,*, Daniela Horvat², Marija Kovačević Babić², Anto Mijić¹, Aleksandra Sudarić¹, Maja Matoša Kočar¹, Tomislav Duvnjak¹, Ivica Liović¹, Ivana Varga³, Marija Viljevac Vuletić^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.94, No.7, pp. 2075-2095, 2025, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2025.065961 - 31 July 2025

Abstract Sunflower leaf photosynthesis strongly depends on the leaf position in the plant stem conditioning, which directly affects other physiological processes. Therefore, a study of the leaf’s physiological status regarding the leaf position in the stem was performed on sunflowers in the flowering stage. Eight differently positioned leaves were investigated, starting with the youngest leaf on the top of the stem to the leaves of the stem bottom, assigned as the oldest senescent leaves. According to chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) parameters connected to photosystem II (PSII) processes, significant changes in PSII functioning occurred only in the senescent… More >

Xin Qi^1,#, Yu Wang^1,#, Xing Zhang¹, Xiaoshuang Wei¹, Xinyang Liu¹, Zhennan Wang¹, Zhenhui Wang^1,*, Fenglou Ling^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.7, pp. 1767-1779, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.052844 - 30 July 2024

Abstract DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulatory mechanism, it regulates gene expression by recruiting proteins involved in gene repression or by inhibiting the binding of transcription factor(s) to DNA. In this study, a novel methyltransferase 2a gene (Zmet2a) was cloned in maize and identified by polymerase chain reaction-base (PCR-base) using a bioinformatics strategy. The Zmet2a cDNA sequence is 2739 bp long and translates to 912 amino acid peptides. The Zmet2a protein revealed that it contains BAH and CHROMO structural domains, is a non-transmembrane protein that is hydrophilically unstable, and has no signal peptide structure. Meanwhile, we verified More >

Fenglan Wang^#, Zhenyuan Cai^#, Zhimei Li, Shilong Zhang, Honghui Luo, Qing Wu, Hanhan Xia, Yanhong Guo^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.4, pp. 819-830, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.049150 - 29 April 2024

Abstract FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is an important factor for integrating flowering signals through the photoperiod pathway, which significantly promotes flowering. Most chrysanthemum varieties are short-day plants, sensitive to the photoperiod, which limits their ornamental and annual production supply. In this study, we aim to analyze the nutrients and flowering-related genes of chrysanthemums with different photoperiod types and to clone and verify the function of the flowering-related gene CmFT. We found that the formation of floral buds requires the accumulation of starch while consuming soluble sugars and the expression patterns of flowering-related genes GIGANTEA (GI), CONSTANS (CO), and FT in C.morifolium… More >

Lanying Chen^1,2, Qiumei Quan^3,*, Yunxiang Li³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.3, pp. 551-566, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.048103 - 28 March 2024

Abstract Mediated by pollen flow, natural hybridization is deemed a crucial factor that propels speciation in floral plants. Despite the fact that the diversity of Epimedium species is concentrated mainly in Southwestern China, the potential impact of interspecific pollination on natural hybridization has yet to be empirically scrutinized. To explore this, we studied the flowering period and the visitors of flowers in three frequently overlapping Epimedium species at Jinchengshan National Forest Park, located in Nanchong, Sichuan Province. Additionally, we performed a series of pollination experiments to examine breeding systems and hybrid compatibility. Morphologically, Epimedium pubescens and Epimedium wushanense are… More >

Jing Liu^1,*, Defeng Shu¹, Zilong Tan¹, Mei Ma¹, Huanhuan Yang¹, Ning Guo^1,2, Shipeng Li¹, Dayong Cui^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.1, pp. 63-79, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.045940 - 26 January 2024

Abstract INDETERMINATE-DOMAIN proteins (IDDs) are a plant-specific transcription factor family characterized by a conserved ID domain with four zinc finger motifs. Previous studies have demonstrated that IDDs coordinate a diversity of physiological processes and functions in plant growth and development, including floral transition, plant architecture, seed and root development, and hormone signaling. In this review, we especially summarized the latest knowledge on the functions and working models of IDD members in Arabidopsis, rice, and maize, particularly focusing on their role in the regulatory network of biotic and abiotic environmental responses, such as gravity, temperature, water, and More >

Xiandang Shen^1,2,3, Runxi He^2,3, Xin Li³, Zhuogong Shi^2,3,*, Jinfang Meng^2,3,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.12, pp. 3251-3266, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.042735 - 28 December 2023

Abstract In this study, newly sprouted shoots of Zanthoxylum armatum (Z. armatum), which were collected after the harvesting period, were used as the primary experimental specimens. A randomized block design and paraffin sectioning method were used to investigate the flower bud differentiation process and the quantity and vitality of buds. Furthermore, the study examined the response of flowering and fruiting to cultivation methods for shoot growth, including layering and plant growth regulator application. The results showed that (a) layering and application of plant growth regulators for Z. armatum accelerated the process of flower bud differentiation by approximately 20 days… More >

Yue Wang^1,#, Xiujie Li^2,#, Yusen Wu², Zhonghui Cai¹, Bo Li², Zhaosen Xie^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.6, pp. 1859-1871, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.027067 - 11 April 2023

Abstract It is generally agreed that many Vitis vinifera L. cultivars are self-fertile, where self-pollination often occurs before capfall in a process called cleistogamy. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the right time to remove stamens before self-pollination during the cross-breeding of grape. For this paper, we observed the process of grape flowering and measured the pollen viability and stigma receptivity of grape flowers of ‘Shine Muscat’ in order to identify the starting time of self-pollination before capfall and to provide useful information for improving the efficiency of cross-breeding. The results demonstrate that the anther is not… More >

Abdullah M. Algahtani¹, Fahed A. Al-Mana¹, Khalid M. Elhindi^1,2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.2, pp. 487-499, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.022850 - 12 October 2022

Abstract Water insufficiency is the hampering feature of crop sustainability, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. So, the effectual usage of all water resources especially underground brackish water represents the core priority in Saudi Arabia. The present study aimed to recognize the influence of different types of water irrigation (tap water as a control, salinized well water, and magnetized salinized well water) with or without soil amendments (soil without any amendment as a control, peat-moss, ferrous sulfate, and peat-moss plus ferrous sulfate) on petunia plant growth and flowering as well as ion content. Irrigating Petunia plants with… More >